Offer a Helping Hand
by DeadlyVampire-DayDream Corp
Summary: Run. Run… Run! that's all that ran through their head. That one, simple, almost meaningless, word. But why? Why were they running? What reason did they have to run as such? Did they even need a reason to feel the humid breeze licking at their skin, as they dashed, weaving in and out of crowds before vanishing through trees? "135. Or, at least, that's what my tag says…" Ryo/OC/Fuji?
1. Chapter 1: Run

_Run. Run… __**Run!**_ that's all that ran through their head. That one, simple, almost meaningless, word. And they did. They ran as far and as fast as they could, bare feet slapping against stone, cutting into the skin and leaving a bloody trail in their wake. But why? Why were they running? What reason did they have to run as such? Did they even need a reason to feel the humid breeze licking at their skin, as they dashed, weaving in and out of crowds before vanishing through trees.

The pain of the branches whipping and slicing into their skin did not seem to even register for the most part, just as their knees failed; refusing to push them forward to continue the run. Despite their efforts, it only forced the means to an end. Their body could not continue, as it needed food and rest, something the person was clearly lacking… If one actually cared to notice. A strangled cry of shock slid up a pale throat, clawing itself free from pearl colored lips.

Crash and burn.

That's the only way to describe it as they fell down the tiny hill, leaving the safety the trees provided, slamming down onto smooth concrete. Silver-blond hair that once was flying like a kite behind them came crashing back down, spilling over thin shoulders, allowing the tips of their ears to show. A small yellow tag went through their left ear, looking like an average conch piercing of the ear. Engraved with black numbers on the tag was '135'.

Their sudden appearance disturbed those around their prone form, stilling all movement as they watched, waiting for any type of movement. None of which was given. An older woman, possibly in her mid-fifties, worriedly went over, checking the person's vitals. She found a pulse, but it was faint. Making up her mind, she pushed the – surprisingly soft – silver-blond strands from their face, seeing a pair of indigo eyes that were glazed over. A group of nine boys made their way over, with varying degrees of curiosity.

"Ryuzaki-sensei?" a boy with two little fringes over their forehead questioned silently, a bit worried himself. Everyone knew how kindhearted and loving the teen is, so it was not a surprise that he'd be worried over a simple stranger. Getting a closer look, he could make out a pale female, one that could be no older than himself, passed out on their school's tennis courts. The soles of her petite feet had been sliced open from her run, something that he grew worried over, as he ordered for a first-aid kit.

Without a single word, he went to work cleaning out the cuts, doing his best to bandage her feet. "She needs to get to a hospital, and soon. She's nothing but skin and bones!" the older woman, Ryuzaki-sensei, exclaimed. "Tezuka, cancel practice. I want you boys to come with me."

* * *

_Blink. Blink… Blink._

Indigo orbs steadily opened, wincing slightly at the brightness of the room, as the owner sat up, staring at the person across from her. "Kto ty?" the woman at the end of the strange bed looked at her as if she grew two heads.

"Nani?"

Biting on the inside of her lower lip, she thought of something else. _"Who are you?"_ she decided on a completely different language, the only other that she knew.

The older woman seemed to finally understand what the young girl was trying to say. "English, yes?" a jerky nod answered the woman's question, then said woman proceeded to leave the room.

The woman entered a waiting room, quickly spying the group of ten that had brought in the girl. "How is she?" the old woman asked, getting down to business.

"She is, surprisingly, fine. She just awoke, speaking some language I am not familiar with – probably European – before speaking English. We need to get a translator so we can find out how she got herself in such a condition."

Ryuzaki only grinned, patting the shortest boy on the head, making him cringe. "No need. One of my students speaks fluent English." The doctor nodded with an apologetic smile towards the child, before showing them all to the girl's room.

They were greeted to the sight of her sitting on her legs at the foot of the hospital bed, a metal clipboard in her dainty hands as she tried to make heads or tails over what it said. None of this seemed to bother the young girl in the least bit, as she looked up at them curiously. _"Oh. Good day to all of you."_

She spoke slowly, with a slight accent, as if thinking of the right words to say. The hazel-eyed preteen sighed, wondering how he got roped into translating. Grabbing one of the chairs in the room, he dragged it over to her, and promptly flopped down into the seat. She simply crawled back over to the head of the bed, sitting back on her legs again once she was in front of him. _"They want to know your name."_ He jabbed a thumb back at the group.

_"135. Or, at least, that is what my tag says…"_ as if to prove her point, she reached up to her left ear, only to meet smooth flesh instead of the tag that was always there. Frowning softly, she tugged on her ear, feeling a bit out of place without the marker. The boy turned his head to the side, quickly translating what she had said. _"I should still have it… The man says I'm not ready for it to be removed."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"The breeding program. They are trying to make… the perfect girl, but I have 5 to 6 years until I'm ready. And they don't want the mutts."_

_"Mutts?"_ he was curious, mainly once she started frowning while tugging on her ear, as if in thought.

_"85 was a mutt, but she was nice. She was the one who taught me how to read, write, and speak English. 85 said I was a quick study."_

_"Where are you from?"_

_"Siberia, Russia. But I've been to America, the Ukraine, England, Ireland, China, Thailand, South Korea, and Vietnam. The man normally takes us to America and China, though."_ She looked back up, grinning a bit. _"We always traveled by boat. Also, the mutts are the girls that didn't fit the King's needs. The King controls the mean man who hurt 85. I think he found out that she told us to call her Mary when he wasn't around. I don't like him. He was terribly mean to Mary. He would always take her to a back room and make her cry and scream."_

As much as it bothered the preteen to hear this, he translated it nonetheless. _"Mary's gone, though. She said the man would make her disappear because he breaks the rules with the mutts. So to save himself from the King, he takes away the mutts. Mary told me that they didn't want anymore mutts, but the man made one with her. She said it would be a kind baby, even with a monster as its genetic donor… He took her to the back room and there was loud popping noises. I don't like those noises, they remind me of the naughty princesses."_

_"Princesses?"_

She looked down, tugging on her earlobes as she bit her lip. _"The King punished them. He said they were bad, because they never listened, unlike I do. I am good, so I never had to be punished by him. Unlike the other princesses, I'm the one that has the same colored hair as the King."_ She rocked back and forth, her accent becoming more pronounced as she kept talking, her silver-blond hair spilling over her tiny shoulders. _"That was the last time I seen him. That was also the first time I heard the loud popping noise. It scared me badly, but it is against the rules to cry in front of him. The princesses were bleeding badly from the popping noise… I-I don't remember anything else… Sorry…"_

With a slightly trembling hand, the preteen boy pat her knee as a means to calm her down. The young female stopped her rocking, dropping her right hand into her lap. "It's fine." She nodded once, turning to look at the others in the room as the boy spoke, not understanding a single word as she rubbed the scar that ran over the bridge of her nose, marring her milky skin. This slight imperfection seemed to not bother her at all.

This was not something that Ryuzaki expected, along with the doctor. "It sounds like human trafficking…" the doctor spoke lowly, a bit afraid of the whole situation.

A red haired teen frowned, looking at the girl as she went back to looking at the medical mumbo-jumbo that was on the metal clipboard. He gently tapped her on the shoulder, catching her attention. She tipped her head to the side, blinking her indigo eyes a few times, as he gave her a small smile, holding out the tiny gift he got down in the gift shop for her. Indigo orbs widened in awe as she pointed her herself, looking stunned as she said something he did not understand, but guessed what it was, and nodded in confirmation.

Reaching out with both hands, she took the stuffed toy from the stranger's larger ones. It was an evergreen colored bear, that when in her lap, only went up to her chest when sitting, with a sapphire blue silk ribbon/bow around its neck. _"It's cute and soft!"_ she brought it close to her face, rubbing her cheek against the evergreen fur.

Ryuzaki smiled softly, noticing how taken her students already were with the girl. Thinking of a plan, she asked to speak with the doctor in private, to discuss matters of the girl's care. If things worked out in her favor, then the unknown child might get a life worth living.

* * *

**Had this bouncing around in my head for awhile now... And I really wanted to do a fanfiction that was completely different from what I'm used to, which is what this is. Also, she has Asperger's Syndrome, so outside the norm for me. First OC that's mentally challenged, yeah! Just like myself... Though I'm not autistic.**

**I don't own Prince of Tennis/TeniPuri, and make no money off this piece of fiction. I only own 135. And the story idea... Probably will keep this a strict "T" rating... o.O Which will be a new one. So, read, let me know what you think, and tell me if I should continue or not. :) Happy holidays~**

**PS. other fanfics will be placed on hold until I get Word... I feel awkward writing in any other type of program... ; w ;**


	2. Chapter 2: Name

**Chapter II: Name**

* * *

She smiled, rubbing her thin cheek against the soft faux fur of the toy, enjoying the softness of it against her pale skin. The smile did wonders for the redhead's ego, as he jumped over to his best friend and doubles partner. "Did you see, Oishi! My gift made her smile! Hoi, hoi!"

A nurse entered the room, moving around the teenaged boys, and sat a small tray on a wheeling table, bringing it over to the happy girl. It was a bowl of fruit along with two glass jugs of milk. Smiling at the scrawny girl, the nurse left with a tiny bow. **135** moved over, setting the teddy on the pile of pillows, and grabbed on of the jugs of milk, unscrewing the metal cap, and slowly drinking the white liquid. _"It's been a while since I last had any! This is great…"_ it did not seem to take much to make her happy. The liquid was about ¾ths the way done once she sat the glass container down, grabbing the curved yellow fruit known as a banana.

The light shun off the glasses of a teen scribbling in green notebook, mumbling the word "data" over and over again as he examined the scene. "Unlike Echizen, she rather enjoys milk, which could explain how she is taller than him, even though she's female and approximately the same age as him…"

"How is it that you know she is taller than Echizen, Inui-senpai?" a violet eyed teen asked, looking mildly curious at how he had this type of information.

Inui simply adjusted his glasses, flipping open the green book he always had on his person. "By her posture alone. It is very proper, so she's not slouching or hunched over, making it easy to determine her height that way. With the use of a basic math problem, I can determine that she's four centimeters taller than Echizen, putting her at 155 cm. Though, that still makes her shorter than Fuji." He jotted down a few more notes. "Does that answer your question, Momo?" the violet eyed boy nodded.

"Saa… She's still cute, though, Inui." A golden brown haired tensai spoke, smiling softly as he watched the girl tug on the preteen's sleeve, catching his attention.

_"I'm sorry, but I didn't get your name…"_

The girl spoke softly, placing her hand back in her lap while finishing munching on her fruit. The preteen simply lifted up the brim of his white cap, hazel meeting innocent indigo. _"Ryoma Echizen."_

_ "Ry-o-ma… E-chi-zen?"_ she spoke the vowels out, trying to get the feel of the foreign name. _"That's first name then last name, yes?"_

He was a bit surprised that she knew of the cultural difference between names. _"Yeah. I thought, seeing as you know English, that it'd be best to give it to you the Western way."_ Ryoma stated, shrugging as if it was nothing. She nodded, understanding what he was saying as she untucked her legs from under her. Clutching the rolling table, she used it to steady her – still weak – legs; not caring about the fact that her feet were still wrapped up and that she probably shouldn't be walking.

Once her legs were steady, did she make her way towards the trashcan, intent on throwing the peel away. As it fell into the can did someone easily pick her clean off the floor, only to set her gently on the hospital bed. Oishi kneeled in front of her, checking the bottoms of her feet, glad to see that no blood was seeping through the bandages. **135** was simply curious at what he was doing, tucking her legs back under her. She simply stared at him with her indigo eyes, drinking the last bit of her milk.

_"Ryoma?"_

_ "Huh?"_

_ "What are their names?"_ she simply gestured to the boys that loitered around the room.

Ryoma sorta forgot his teammates were there as he slouched more in his chair. _"Shuichiro Oishi."_ He gestured to his senpai that was still kneeling before the girl.

_"Shu-ichi-ro?"_ she questioned, hoping she got it right. A nod of confirmation was her answer, making her smile happily.

_"Kunimitsu Tezuka,"_ the preteen boy gestured to his stoic looking captain.

As if making sure it was the right person, **135** pointed at the brown haired teen. _"Ku-ni-mi-tsu?"_

The quiet 14 year old casted her a ghost of a smile, nodding his head once to acknowledge his first name. The way she slightly struggled with the pronunciation was quite cute, though he'd never willingly voice his opinion on such a mater. It just was not the Tezuka way.

Ryoma gestured towards a black haired teen wearing glasses, scribbling something down in a dark green notebook. _"That's Sadaharu Inui."_

_ "Sa-da-ha-ru… Simple enough to pronounce."_

_ "Takashi Kawamura, but everyone calls him Taka-san."_

_ "Taka-san?"_ the timid teen nodded, grinning softly at the silver-blond haired girl.

_"Eiji Kikumaru."_ he pointed at the redhead that had given her the teddy bear.

**135** waved at the grinning teen, smiling as sweetly as possible while cuddling her stuffed animal. _"Thank you for the bear, Eiji."_ Surprisingly, she hardly had problems with his name.

A teenage boy with honey brown hair walked over to her, grabbing both of her dainty hands in his much larger ones, giving her one of his calming smiles. _"Syusuke Fuji."_ He introduced himself.

_"Syu-su-ke?"_ she tried, shaking her head a bit at the odd feeling of his name on her tongue. It did not sound right to her ears.

Seeing the slight struggle she was experiencing with his name, he pushed her silvery hair behind her ears. _"Syusuke."_

She blinked a few times, not noticing the pinkish hue that graced her delicate skin. _"Syusuke?"_ now that sounded more right to her ears. The tensai nodded, telling her she got it right the second time around.

Ryoma was a bit surprised at his senpai, but let it go as he went on to introduce the others. _"Kaoru Kaido is the one in the bandana."_

_ "Kaoru."_ The normally fierce thirteen-year-old's face flushed slightly, looking off to the side while trying to control the unusual flush of blood in his cheeks.

_"Then you have Takeshi Momoshiro, but he likes to be called Momo-chan. It means peach…"_ Ryoma smirked as the girl reached into the fruit bowl, pulling out the fruit.

The upperclassmen understood what his young kouhai told the English speaking girl, blushing brightly while pulling the kid into a headlock, grinding his knuckles down on the preteen's skull. "Oh, ha-ha! You think you're so funny, don't ya, Echizen?"

"Ack! Get off me, Momo-senpai!" he squirmed around, pushing at Momo's arm that was around his neck.

"Momoshiro!" Tezuka barked, causing the 2nd year to release the 1st year. "We're in a hospital, remember that!"

"H-Hai, Tezuka-buchou." He blushed softly, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. The girl, on the other hand, just watched them with a small grin, her indigo colored orbs dancing with amusement.

_"They are pretty amusing, huh?"_ spoke Fuji, his words heavily accented to the point that she had to strain her ears to understand them. She nodded in agreement, smiling softly at him. Fuji smiled, too, as he gently patted her head, feeling how soft her silvery hair was.

* * *

A while later, the older woman and the doctor reentered the room. "Except for Echizen, the rest of you are free to leave." The boys nodded, exiting the room silently with tiny waves to **135**, and a hug from Eiji, which caused her to freeze and look at him in confusion.

"Ah… Ryuzaki-sensei, why do I have to stay?" the hazel-eyed boy questioned, wondering where all this was going.

"Because, Echizen, you are our only available translator, and also you're an important part of what's gonna happen." Ryuzaki stated, being vague with her answers.

Ryoma simply shrugged, settling himself down again. He currently wished he had a grape ponta to help quench his thirst. "Ano, Ryuzaki-san, we need to give our Jane Doe a name first, before proceeding." The female doctor spoke, adjusting her thin rimmed glasses.

"Of course. Ryoma, will you be kind enough to ask her if the girls she was with ever called her something different besides the number that was on her ear-tag?"

Said preteen asked, staring deeply into unwavering pools of indigo. _"Mary called me firefly, if that helps."_

"_Well, Hotaru means 'firefly' in Japanese…"_

"_Hotaru? I like it!"_

"Firefly, huh…?" mused the tennis couch, smiling fondly at the two.


	3. Chapter 3: Mother?

**Chapter III: Mother?**

* * *

I sat silently, wondering what these people were talking about, and what it had to do with me. The only thing I understood was 'Hotaru' and that was about it, so I decided to go back to eating the fruit that was in the bowel before me, choosing an apple this time. It was so juicy! Smiling happily, I continued to munch on it. Holding the apple in my right hand, I brought my left up and played with my ear; missing the tag that was once always there. I do not think I will ever be used to not having it on my body. It was just odd. Simply odd, not having it there. I guess I will get used to it… I hope.

They seemed to talk for what felt like hours, and none of it was anything I could even begin to understand. I could only speak and understand Russian, because of it being my birth language, and everything else in English, because of Mary. _**'I do hope this doesn't last much longer… I'm sleepy…' **_as the thought crossed my mind, did I lay on my side, curling my tiny form around the stuffed bear that was trapped between my crossed arms and torso. Feeling how heavy my eyelids were, I simply closed them, drifting off into la-la land.

* * *

"Ano, Ryuzaki-san, how are we to go about her name?" asked the doctor, looking up from her clipboard to the older woman.

"Well, didn't Ryoma say that she used to be called 'firefly' by one of the girls? And she seemed fond of the name 'Hotaru'…" she stated, looking up a bit. "Just give her a random Russian surname, and we can say she's half and half."

"Ryuzaki-sensei has a point." The hazel eyed preteen stated, sounding bored after the short argument he had with his coach about letting a strange girl live with him and his family. Sadly, both of his parents, namely his father – Echizen Nanjiro – already agreed in taking in the strange girl.

The dark haired doctor nodded in agreement. "It is plausible to pass her off as someone of mixed heritage. In some cases, children have been known to look more like one parent's ethnic group than the other."

"Something easy to pronounce, preferably." Ryuzaki stated.

The doctor, Satoshi-sensei, nodded in agreement, pulling out a small tablet for her white over coat. Her slender fingers tapped away, looking up names that'd work. "Kuznetsov?"

"Iie." they both spoke, Ryoma even making an 'X' with his arms.

"Kozlov?" again, she was answered with solid 'no's'.

"How about 'Alkaev'?" the tennis coach peaked over the doctor's shoulder, speaking out the name. Ryoma simply sighed in exasperation. This was going to take a while…

And it did. About twenty-five minutes later, Ryoma was ready to just leave. This had nothing to do with him, anyways. "Fine, fine… How about Volkov, Echizen?" the answer they got was a tired nod from the preteen. Today's events had seriously warn him out. A few minutes later, everything was finalized, allowing the preteen to finally go home so he could get some food and sleep, completely ignorant of the tiny female that had fallen asleep long ago.

* * *

Yawning, I sat up, rubbing at my sleepy eyes, only to be greeted by a pair of cheery golden brown eyes. _"H-Hi?"_ I managed to squeak out, a bit startled at how close our faces were.

_"Oh my! Ryoma forgot to mention how adorable you are!"_ the woman smiled, wrapping her toned arms around me in a comforting hug. It wasn't as scary like when Eiji hugged me before he left. I am used to the girls giving comfort to the others, so it wasn't all that foreign. _"Ah, sorry."_ She had let me go, her small hands resting on my tiny shoulders so she could look me over. _"You're so tiny! Don't worry, I'll fix that soon."_ I liked her already. She reminded me of 287.

_"Who are you?"_

_"Ah, sorry. I am Rinko Echizen; Ryoma's mother."_

_"Mother? What's a 'mother'?"_

_"It's a woman who brings up a child with care and affection, like any mother should."_ I blinked, taking in her smile. It made my stomach flutter as heat rushed to my cheeks. Her smile had this soft glow to it, making me feel safe. _"Now, let's get you changed so we can go home."_ Rinko calmly stated, helping me change out of the sky blue pajamas that the place had me wear, so I could put on the soft red polo shirt and black shorts. Instead of regular shoes, she had me wear slip-on flats, instead; saying something about how my feet were fine, as long as I only wear flats/slippers or nothing at all.

After a bit, she slowly brushed out my hair, allowing it to fall down to my mid-thighs, before pulling out a silky blue ribbon, securing my hair at the base of my neck. _"So warm!"_ I clung to my teddy, smiling happily at the warmth the new clothes brought me.

_"Before we leave, your name is Hotaru, understand?"_ I nodded, smiling at her as she softly patted me on the head. _"Well, aren't you precious! I've always wanted a daughter."_ Grabbing my right hand, Rinko led me out of the large white building and towards a large black truck, where she proceeded to help settle me in.

* * *

Short and to the point, I think. Also, thanks to the few people who has added this to their alerts/favorites! But I'd like it more if you reviewed -cough cough- hint hint -cough-

Anyways, I'm going to open up a poll that'll allow you guys to either chose Ryoma, Fuji, and/or someone else (please tell me the other in a review or PM, though!). Okay. I'm out.


	4. Chapter 4: Karupin

**Chapter IV: Karupin**

* * *

Soon we came to a stop in front of a large house that had a huge temple behind it. Tall, stonewalls surrounded the property, easily giving the owners the privacy they wanted. _"It's a bit smaller than our home in California, but it's big enough for us all to live comfortably."_ Rinko explained, pulling up in the long driveway. The home in itself was beautiful, though. _"We'll get you settled first, and then, once Ryoma's home, we'll go get you some of your own clothes… Otherwise you'll be stuck wearing his for God knows how long."_ This seemed to amuse her, as she started giggling, helping me inside as she removed her shoes by the door. I followed her example, a bit curious.

Once I stepped foot on the smooth wooden floor, did a cream-colored ball come sliding across the dark hard wood, right into my shins. Looking down curiously, I stared back into a pair of bright blue cat eyes, the same shade of a cloudless summer day. It had a dark face, paws, ears, and tail, while the rest was a fluffy cream color. "Nyo?" the cute creature tilted its head to the side, looking confused.

_"Karupin, this is Hotaru. Be a good boy, okay?"_ Rinko spoke softly to the ball of fluff, only to get a soft 'nyo' in return.

I continued staring as I got down to his level, holding out my hand for the fluffy cat. He sniffed it, placing both of his front paws into the palm of my hand, allowing me to feel how squishy the soft pads were. This was my first time seeing a cat, so I was overjoyed when he seemed to take a liking to me, if he brushing his furry body against any visible piece of flesh was anything to go by.

Suddenly he leaped up, jumping into my arms so he could rub his head against the underside of my jaw. I smiled, enjoying the soft warmth as I sat down by the entrance, sitting on my knees, as I placed my teddy down so I could freely scratch the lovable kitten behind the ear. _"You are soft."_ he simply mewed in response.

_"Oh! You two are so cute!"_ I blinked, turning my indigo gaze up to stare at a gushing Rinko. She held up a small device – a cellphone, I think it was called – and snapped a picture. _"I'll send this to Ryoma! I didn't send a picture of Karupin earlier, so this'll do for now."_ She turned on her heel, leaving me with the fluffy feline.

* * *

"Nanjiro! Come meet Hotaru, honey!" Rinko chimed, looking down at her husband, still dressed as a Monk, even though he had the personality of a lecherous teen and the body of Adonis. If it were not for how they had met all those years ago, and his piss-poor attitude with her body at the time, she probably would have fallen for him on sight. However, Rinko silently mused to herself, she was indeed lucky to find such a man and to call him 'husband'.

She honestly could not think of her life without the perverted man. If he was not in it, it probably would be dull and boring, with no hint of excitement. This was probably why she put up with his perverted, teasing ways. He was a faithful man, even if he liked looking; he would always keep those grabby hands to himself – or on Rinko, which ever was nearby. As great of a husband he is, he is an even better father, she thought. No matter how much he teased and taunted their son, she knew he deeply cared and loved the boy.

Nanjiro looked up, his dark blue-black eyes staring in question at his wife. "Hotaru?"

"You know, the girl we promised to take in… The one Ryuzaki-san called us about."

"Wait, I thought the old hag said the girl went by a number… 130-something or other."

"Well, she did. But she can't go by a number alone, so the hospital helped create a fake identity for her to use — hence the name Hotaru." The brown-haired woman explained for her childish husband, grinning as she showed him the photo she took on her phone. "And isn't she the cutest little girl you've ever seen?"

Cocking a dark brow, he took his wife's cell, examining the photo. A tiny girl, a bit taller than Ryoma, with silver-blond hair was holding the 'family' cat in her arms, her eyes closed due to her smile. He had to admit, the child was a beauty, but the main thing the man noticed was the noticeable scar that ran over the bridge of her nose. "Well, well, well… She is a cutie," he smirked, returning the device, "think we'll have to teach the brat about 'the birds and the bees'?"

This earned the older Echizen male a sharp slap upside his head. "Honestly, darling… He's only 12, nowhere near the age to be thinking about **that**!"

"Itai…" Nanjiro winced, rubbing at the bruised portion of his skull. "Your point being, babe? At his age, I was checking any and every girl out." Wrong thing to say to a protective, and semi-violent, mother/wife like Rinko. Adding the slap, he now had red cheeks from the woman pinching and pulling at them.

"Ryoma's not anything like his lecherous father! He has his head on straight, unlike a certain someone!" You would figure that, by now, Nanjiro would have learned to keep his big mouth shut.

"I'm home!" a voice called from the other side of where the two adults were. The subject of their conversation had appeared. Ryoma blinked, staring at Hotaru who cradled his beloved Himalayan cat named Karupin. She had not noticed him, as she was busy burying her face into the silky soft fur of the animal. The cat did not mind, as he snuggled closer to the strange girl.

Letting her husband go, Rinko re-entered the foyer, silently watching what was going to possibly happen, seeing as their new houseguest was wearing the boy's clothes. He only stared, not understanding what was going on, and feeling slight betrayal from his cat that was cozying up to the other (pre)teen. "Welcome home, sweetie." His mother smiled at him before kissing his cheek – much to his chagrin. "Now, I know you just got home from tennis practice, but please go freshen up real quick. We need to go shopping."

"Why don't you take Oyaji or Nanako with you?"

"Do you honestly expect me to take your father out to go clothes shopping?" he slowly shook his head, understanding his mom's reasoning behind that. "Also, your cousin Nanako is stay at a friend's to work on a project." Well, that answered all his questions. Giving a defeated sigh, Ryoma quickly headed to his room to change into regular clothes, placing his uniform into his dirty clothesbasket that sat by the door.

Once Ryoma came back down, he went into the kitchen to set down some food and clean water for his beloved cat, before going back to the foyer. By this time Hotaru had already let Karupin go, allowing her indigo orbs to travel over the boy's form. He had changed into a pair of loose khaki cargo pants, a black tank top that Hotaru could not make out what was on it, while he had a black and charcoal gray striped hoodie over that, zipped most of the way up, as a pair of dog-tags hung over it. A white cap topped his outfit off, as it sat snugly on top of his green tinted-black hair.

Ryoma silently sat down so he could pull his shoes back on, and Rinko motioned the young girl to do them same. As curious as she was, she did not voice her thoughts. Instead, she just placed the plain flats back on her feet before standing up once more – this time on sturdier legs – with her teddy bear clasped loosely in her slightly crossed arms, down by her stomach instead of her chest. Karupin meowed softly, pawing at her leg, making the blond haired girl tilt her head to the side. The cat acted as if he will never see her again, so she sat the bear down, which the cat proceeded to curl up with.

Hotaru smiled happily, petting his head, before following Ryoma out.

* * *

A/N: I deeply hope that the Echizen family sound in character. If anyone, and I do mean **_ANYONE_**, sounds OOC, let me know, please?

Also, the poll is officially open. As it stands it is **Ryoma - 1, Fuji - 0, Other - 0 **the last I checked :) Hope all you guys had a great Christmas. It was probably better than mine, seeing as it was really shitty, but oh well. I worked on this instead of being in a sour mood.


	5. Chapter 5: Shopping

**Chapter V: Shopping**

* * *

"Mom, I'll take Hotaru to one of the shoe stores." Ryoma spoke up, speaking in English so I could understand their conversation.

"Okay, honey. I will get some of the more… feminine… products. Once I'm done, I'll text you the name of the store I'm at." She proceeded to hand the boy a small stack of colored money. Most of it was blue, while there was a small few that happened to be purple and brown. This is the first time I have seen paper money any other color besides green. Ryoma simply folded the bills in half, shoving them into his pants pocket, as he tightened his hold on our laced fingers, leading me away from his mother.

* * *

Ryoma subconsciously noted how soft Hotaru's hand was, as he led them both through the throng of people, going into the shoe store. Counting the amount that his mother had given him, Ryoma concluded that there was enough to get her two pairs of shoes and a new pair of tennis shoes for himself; seeing as his last pair were very worn from all his training.

Rinko, in a woman's clothing store, silently browsed through the 'feminine clothing', silently thanking her son's senpai for giving her estimates on her new charge's sizes. "Hm… Maybe I should pick up a new notebook for Inui-san? As a sort of 'thank you' gift?" she mused to herself, looking through the colorful bras and panties. Rinko even found a matching set that had little brown teddy bears on a pastel blue background.

After finding a good number, her next stop… Pajamas.

While in the store, Ryoma had let go of Hotaru's hand as he tried on a new pair of shoes, giving the tiny girl the chance to wander around the store. A few times an employee has come up to her, politely asking if she needed any sort of help, only to be ignored by the budding young woman. Though, not intentionally, obviously.

As Hotaru walked down another aisle of shoes, her body was exposed to a – very solid – form, causing her to fall on her tiny rump. She looked up, her blank – albeit curious – face morphed into a bright smile as she took the person's offered hand. _"Syusuke!"_ the tiny girl greeted, happy to see a familiar face after only just a day's separation.

The normally smiling tensai was speechless, seeing the hospitalized girl from the day before walking around the mall, as if nothing had ever happened. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. He was downright befuddled to the point of opening his eyes, just to make sure he was not hearing things. Lo and behold, standing in front of him was none other than the cute little girl from before, with her ever-present smile that caused her dimples to stand out in both her cheeks.

Grabbing the honey brown-haired person's hand, Hotaru led them both back to a dumbfounded Ryoma. "Fuji-senpai? Daijoubu?"

"Hai, daijoubu." The tensai replied, smiling sweetly as Hotaru stood behind him, looking at a pair of black flats that had a dark purple bow on the top with a cute looking skull in the center of the bow. She then crouched down, looking at a pair of simple red flats under them. Shaking her head, she stood back up and looked at a pair of sneakers. Like the flats, they had no arch and were very thin and lightweight, mostly made of fabric, and were white with black detail. Trailing a slender digit over the boxes, she found a size 6.5.

She silently compared the size to the flats she wore; taking note at how the fabric stretched enough that it would be comfortable to wear with her bandages and socks. Placing the box and shoes next to her, she skimmed through more shoes. To her right, both Fuji and Ryoma were talking. About what, she did not know.

"So, Echizen, what are you and Shoujo-chan doing here?" Asked a curious Fuji.

"Hotaru…"

"Hontou ni?"

"Hai, senpai. We're here to get some clothes for Hotaru." The young first year proceeded to explain the current situation to his senpai, making sure he said everything.

"Saa… Mind if I help, then?" the young rookie merely shrugged his shoulders, fixing the laces of the shoes he had tried on. The smiling tensai took that as a yes. Turning around, he followed Hotaru, as she cradled one box to her chest. Peaking at said box, he realized it was probably a pair of Converses that rested inside. As they both wondered around the large store, it looked as if she was having a problem on making up her mind on something. Fuji silently chuckled to himself, finding her to be amusing and adorable all at once in her confusion.

Pulling out his ever-present camera, the young tensai snapped a photo of the bewildered girl, chuckling in amusement as she came over, examining the device that he held. Fuji bent over slightly, resting his chin on her slender shoulder, as he showed Hotaru how to operate the electronic device. Once she figured it out did he allow her to take it from him and place it up to her eye, snapping a picture of Ryoma. Seigaku's rookie sighed heavily, looking up at the girl and Fuji-senpai from the corner of his hazel eyes as he placed the shoes he tried back into their respective boxes. _"Ryoma, I took a picture!"_ said preteen was surprised that her cheerful voice did not grate on his nerves.

_"Did you chose a pair of shoes?"_ Ryoma questioned as she nodded happily, her long ponytail swaying across her back. _"Let me see…"_ Hotaru handed the box over before clasping her hands behind her back. Fuji thought she had pretty hands. Ryoma opened the box lid, staring down at a pair of classic white low top Converses. _"You sure you want white, Hotaru?"_

_"I can have a different color?"_ she asked, blinking innocently at the boy. He nodded, grabbing her hand once more, and taking her back over to the section that the shoes originally belonged to. He checked the size of the box he held before pulling out a few more, showing the silver-blond haired girl her options of color. Her indigo orbs glittered as they scanned over each pair, before they landed on a pair of charcoal gray low tops.

_"Found a pair?"_ the young Echizen asked, watching as she nodded and pointed at the charcoal gray sneakers. He placed the lid back on the shoes and sat them back with the pair that he was going to get, while Hotaru placed all the others back. _"Anything else you'd like?"_ she shook her head, happy with her lone choice. Ryoma nodded, picking both boxes up and heading to the checkout to pay for them both.

Fuji grabbed a hold of her right hand, lacing their fingers together, as he led her after the young rookie. With his free hand, he placed his beloved camera back into his coat pocket as he pulled out his phone. _"How are you?"_ he questioned, his English heavily accented to the point of almost being gibberish if one did not strain their ears. Like most of the Japan's citizens, Fuji Syusuke was not a master at speaking and/or understanding the western language, even though he took the classes and did fairly well in them. Now, if you gave him an English book, he would be able to read and understand it no problem, but speaking and conversing in said language is an entirely different matter at hand.

Cue that magic of modern technology. As they followed Ryoma, Fuji had taken to showing the young girl how to use the device, typing with the keypad that he would be able to better understand her if she wrote what she said out on the tiny screen. Hotaru used the device and typed 'I'm fine. And you?' before showing the boy. They passed the phone back and forth, having their own silent conversation, one that led the young rookie of Seigaku to look over his shoulder when he heard a tiny giggle. Rolling his hazel eyes, he felt his own phone vibrate in his pocket. Fishing it out of his pants, the young soon-to-be-teen lazily read the text his mother sent, before turning and heading off towards the large clothing store.

Rinko patiently waited for her son and Hotaru by the storefront, casually flipping through a few racks of clothes. She pulled a bluish-black hooded jacket off the rack, holding it out in front of her as she examined it silently. On Hotaru's slender frame, the jacket would be large and baggy, the hem falling to the small female's mid thighs, while the sleeves would fall a bit past her fingertips. The hood itself was large, making it comfortable to sit on top of one's head while blocking out the sun or wind, and the top was sewn in such a unique way, that it looked like the hood had a set of cat ears poking up from the fabric.

As soon as the female Echizen spotted the tiny girl did she drag her over, quickly pulling the jacket onto her slender built. _"How does that feel?"_ asked Rinko, pulling the large hood over the girl's head. Hotaru's indigo orbs widened in awe as she reached up, feeling the tiny peeks that made up the cat ears. Fuji Syusuke, ever the photographer, took out his camera and snapped a photo of the ecstatic female.

"Kawaii, Echizen-san…" he stated, gently tugging at the specially stitched cat ears on the hood. Ryoma simply rolled his eyes, sighing heavily. It was going to be a long, long… long… shopping trip.

* * *

Finally, chapter 5 is done and posted!

Currently, the poll stands at **Ryoma - 3 (or is it 4? Ha), Fuji - 0, Other - 0**

And to _**CheekySaku:** _The reason why there might be some grammar/spelling mistakes, is because I'm writing this all in google docs, so yeah... I no have Word ; w ; Another reason is because this is all un-beta'd, so boom.

A little side note for the whole language thing; even though English is a required class that they are forced to take, they are mostly focused on the whole reading/writing portion over actually speaking and verbally understanding it. Weird, I know. But I went to school with 3 people from Tokyo/Kanto Region of Japan, and they didn't really understand, verbally, any of the English (that's why it's best to pass letters back and forth, mainly if they are your seat mate! I'm looking at you, Kensuke Narita!) so they had to use a pocket translator some times.

Also, in Hotaru's point of view, it's obviously going to be English, that's why the quotes are not italicized anymore. :)


	6. Chapter 6: Wallet

**Chapter VI: Wallet**

* * *

Stretching my arms up, I blinked a few times, trying to figure out where I currently was. Soon, I remembered. Smiling happily, I peeled the blankets back before rotating to place my feet on the cool floor. Once I stood, I made sure to organize and fix the low bed, making it look as if it was not slept in. "There." Happy with how tidy my new room currently is, I decided to venture out to the rest of the house, a weird sense of curiosity holding on as I descended the stairs. Allowing my feet to lead me anywhere, I ended up in the kitchen with a tall woman with long purplish-blue hair that cascaded down her back.

As she turned around, her eyes widened when she seen me, before smiling softly. "Good afternoon. You must be little Hotaru! Auntie told me about you." I tilted my head to the side, a bit confused. She simply giggled in response to whatever face I made. "Sorry, sorry. My name is Nanako, and I'm Ryoma's cousin who lives here." Nanako clarified gently. "Are you hungry?"

I nodded slowly as I cautiously entered the kitchen. "Y-Yes…"

"Is there anything that you'd like specifically?" I shook my head in the negative. "All right, then. How about a nice fluffy omelet?"

I nodded with a tiny grin, standing off to the side so I could watch her work. Cooking always seemed to find ways to amaze me and catch my attention. Maybe it is because it has no limits on what you could make, or how it always seems to put a smile on someone's face when done correct. "Nyo~" I looked down, seeing the kitty from the other day sitting on my feet, staring at me with its large, sky blue, cat eyes as his tail swayed back and forth. I happily picked him up and cradled him in my arms as I followed Nanako into the dining room. Taking a seat, I sat the ball of fluff in my lap as I listened and watched the older girl explain how to use the chopsticks.

Once I figured out the mechanics behind it, I started eating slowly, savoring the flavor, as Karupin slept on my lap soundly. After I finished did I let Karupin down so I could clean my plate. As I finished, I placed the plate and the chopsticks into the dish drainer. "Oh, are you done, Hotaru?" asked Nanako, coming in from outside.

"Yes. Thank you for the meal." I gave her a tiny bow.

"No need to thank me!" she smiled happily. "How about you go get dressed for the day, okay?" I nodded, heading up the stairs with Karupin trailing after me. He entered my room and I closed the door behind me, giving me the privacy needed to change out of my black silk pajamas that had hearts in varying shades of red and pink. Karupin jumped onto the bed and curled up with teddy, watching me closely with those sky blue orbs of his as my fingers deftly skimmed over the new articles of clothing that Mrs. Echizen supplied me with.

I grabbed a pair of short black shorts; I pulled them up and fasten the front while clipping on the navy blue suspenders – leaving them hanging – before pulling a blue shirt over my head that said 'Ravenclaw'. Keeping my hair long and loose, I clipped a blue plaid silk bow to the left side of my head as I sat down, allowing me to pull on my black socks that covered my knees with kitty faces. "Nya~ Nya~" I meowed, catching Karupin' attention. He simply batted at me knees, squashing his forepaws against the faces. Picking up the overly fluffy cat in my arms, I exited the room while skipping; grabbing the large hooded jacket with the unique kitty ears on my way out.

I made sure my hold on the Himalayan cat was secure as I opened the door to Ryoma's room. The room itself was void of its occupant, as he left earlier today to go play a sport called tennis at his school. Karupin meowed, leaping out of my arms to the bed, purring all the while. I giggled as I moved over to the bookcase that the boy had in his room, trailing my right index finger over the spines as my left hand toyed around with my left ear. Pulling out all the ones that were in English, I plopped down on the floor, giving Karupin the opportunity to curl around my shoulders – which he took, no questions asked.

Huddling up against the bedframe, I flipped two of the books open to the first page, quickly reading each book almost at the same time, my eyes darting across each page; absorbing every bit of information possible. I could not believe what I, and all the other girls in the program, are missing out on.

* * *

Nanako had grown curious on what the young girl was currently. After she cleaned the dishes did she head up the stairs, sticking her head into the room Hotaru was staying it. The room was empty. "Hotaru?" the young woman called out, closing the bedroom door as she left, getting worried on where she could possibly be. Noise could be heard from Nanako's cousin, whose room was next door. Opening it up, she seen the young girl on the floor, all of Ryoma's English textbooks spread open around her as a pad of paper and pen sat atop of her lap.

Scribbled across the paper were the Pythagorean Theorem and loads of other math problems. Hotaru leaned forward, flipping through one of the books, as she switched hands to write. "Hotaru?" Nanako sighed softly as a pair of large indigo colored eyes landed on her.

_"Hi!"_ the girl greeted as her cat-friend slid to the floor in a lazy puddle of fur. _"I finished these books… Is there anymore English ones?"_

_"You read… all these books?"_ inquired Nanako, not believing her at all. If it were not for the innocent look that the child gave her, she really would not have taken her seriously. _"And what did you learn from the books?"_

Hotaru handed Nanako the pad of paper, holding the pen she has been using in her left hand. The older female skimmed through the written pages, observing them all closely with a critical eye. The handwriting was a bit messy, but that was a given, as things ranging from math to history were scrawled over the – once pristine – pages. While she browsed over the pages did Hotaru start tidying up, making sure that all the books were placed in their proper spots and that nothing was out of sorts. _"I learned lots and lots!"_ she cheered, a bit proud of herself. _"Do you think…"_ the silver-blond haired girl was not very certain on how to voice her question.

_"What's the matter, Hotaru?"_ she looked up for her hard work.

The short girl simply fiddled with the hem of her large cat eared jacket. _"Do you think that Ryoma could teach me Japanese? I feel a bit lonely only knowing how to communicate in just a certain way."_ She explained, sounding worried that the boy might reject her silly little wants of him teaching her something new and useful.

Nanako simply smiled. _"I'm sure he will if you asked politely. Ryoma might be a bit anti-social, but he's never rude on purpose outside the tennis courts."_ Her words cheered her aunt's charge greatly. _"Oh! I have to leave here in a bit, and I do not have time to drop this off. Do you think you can deliver Ryoma his wallet? He woke up late and left it behind."_ Hotaru nodded happily, taking the smooth folded billfold and tucking it safely into one of her shorts pockets. Once the directions to the school and the layout of the campus was explained, new shoes with their laces securely tied, hood pulled over her head, did Hotaru bounce out the door; excited to see what laid beyond what little she has seen during her stay in the real world.

* * *

It was too nice of a day for the King of Hyotei to be trapped inside his personal limousine, too nice of a day for the King of Arrogance to not want to stretch his legs, too nice of a day to waste away inside, too nice a day to not enjoy, too nice a—

His thoughts was cut short as a tiny form collided with his much larger one. Taking a few steps back, the self-proclaimed King looked down at the person who dared to run into him. "Oi, who do you think you are, running into ore-sama like you just did?" he sneered, his dark cobalt blue eyes narrowing in a slight glare. His sneer lessened as he noticed that the person was female. Moreover, a cute one at that. "Arn~? Did a little kitten lose her way?" he asked, kneeling down to look her in the face.

Hotaru blinked a few times, clearing her vision a bit from her tumbling to the ground. A set of indigo made contact with a pair of cobalt. She did not understand a single thing he said, nothing at all sound familiar. _"I'm sorry…"_ she mumbled softly, a little worried that the person before her would be angry with her. The mere thought made her eyes become misty.

The so-called King quirked an eyebrow, a bit curious at the English apology. _"No need to be sorry, for _**_I_**_, the great Keigo Atobe, is here to help the lost kitten find her way home."_ His English was clean and crisp, easy for the young girl to understand. He offered her his hand, which she gratefully took, and he pulled her up on to her feet. Atobe noted how petite the 'lost kitten' was compared to his 5'9" frame. _"Now, may I have your name?"_ he asked politely.

Hotaru felt that she could trust him, so she removed her large hood, giving him a better look at her all the while. _"H-Hotaru… I'm Hotaru."_ She was a bit nervous, seeing as he towered over her 5'1" body by eight inches. But of course, who would not be intimidated of someone who is much taller and stronger than you are, and was currently towering over your prone form, even though they did not mean harm?

_"Such a lovely name, for someone as pure as you…"_ crooned Atobe, brushing his soft lips against the knuckles of the dainty hand he still held. Hotaru's soft skin made his pale lips tingle, confusing the young King as to why a mere touch of the lips to the knuckles would cause such a reaction; almost as if he, himself, had pressed his lips against her own partially parted – rosy pink – ones. _"Now, where is it that you need to be, my lost little kitten?"_ Atobe was curious on where such a pretty girl was needed.

Unbeknownst to Hotaru, a rosy blush dusted her pale cheeks, as she remembered the name of Ryoma's school. _"Ah… I need to go to Seigaku? I have something to drop off to one of the tennis players."_ She thought to be vague, after all, he might not know who Ryoma was, and she did not want to be rude and assume that he does.

* * *

Atobe, ever the gentleman, had led Hotaru directly to Seigaku's Tennis courts. He was curious at who she had to see so urgently. Once they made their entrance did Atobe head straight for Tezuka; Hotaru hidden from the stoic captain by the young heir's tall form as she slowly took in the sights. The grounds were large and grand, very fitting for the likes of Seigaku and its students.

Fuji was the first of the Regulars to notice both Atobe and Hotaru's presence. He quickly left the courts with a towel around his neck, wiping away some sweat from his brow just as he and the King of Hyotei reached Tezuka. "May we help you, Atobe?" asked the oh-so-cold buchou of Seigaku.

"Ah~n? Is that anyway to greet a friend like ore-sama, Tezuka-kun?" inquired the King with a quirked elegant brow before dismissing it completely. "Ore-sama found a lost koneko-chan and decided to return her home." He informed the two, loosely wrapping a strong arm around Hotaru's slender shoulders as she came to a stop next to him. Her face showed her mild curiosity, as she smiled at the two before her. "But if you do not want her, ore-sama will gladly take in this cute koneko-chan."

* * *

**To clarify, fireflies cannot live in polluted waters, so that is why Atobe says her name is lovely and pure, just like Hotaru.**

**Also, let it be noted that Atobe has a habit of calling girls "Koneko" which means 'kitten' in Japanese. The honorific of '-chan' at the end just makes it more cute and feminine... To be honest, I had fun writing as the King of Hyotei! Ha, maybe I've ate something weird to make me like him a bit... or who knows? I actually debated while typing this chapter if it should've been Marui Bunta of Rikkaidai instead... But, seeing as they are in Tokyo, and Hyotei is in Tokyo, why not have everyone's favorite Monkey King?**

**Poll update: Ryoma - 5, Fuji - 3, Other - 0** And _please, please, please_ if you have an account, take the poll that is on my profile instead of leaving either "Ryoma" or "Fuji" in the reviews, unless you don't have an account. It makes keeping track of the poll easier. Though I will take anyone than the two mentioned in either a review or PM. :)

Btw, _CheekySaku_ I am a poor 19 year old female with no job because of no one hiring and other things, so I cannot afford Word... ; w ;

On a completely unrelated note, I've been addicted to playing _Tennis no Oujisama - Doubles no Oujisama: Girls, Be Gracious!_ For the DS via an emulator! Someone on tumblr kindly linked me to an English patch, and I am currently replaying it after finishing it earlier today (I finished the Inui route with me moving to America, heh) and am playing the Ryoma route. Also, I've been watching the Australian Open while listening to TeniMyu songs. ;D Visit my tumblr '**theotakulifechoseme**' for a little live blogging I did the other day about the former.

Check out my profile for links related to this story. They will be close to the top. It includes images of Hotaru, clothing, maybe a video or two, and other goodies related to _**Offer a Helping** **Hand**_!


End file.
